When not in frantic post-punk mode via endlessly corkscrewing guitars, the band also excel in strange, moody textural explorations, adding areal eclecticism and sense of journey to the album.

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5mo

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Mojo

This strange album, the fourth ... from Rats On Rafts, is a cryp- tic concept piece. It opens with rain, wind, fire and the birth of a child. There is plague, drought, a desert, looming, poisonous shadows, and the search for government facilities where secret files are stored.

5mo

While a bit muddled and confusing, the album certainly invites the audience to listen attentively and figure out their own interpretations.

4mo

It’s a conflicting record, filled with swells and dry spells, but the forecast is generally clear in all directions.

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4mo

User Reviews

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FatalNoise

Okay yeah, this is pretty interesting. Noisy shouty and a real step up from previous works. Though some folk may feel this is derivative of similar bands I’d disagree. The lovely childish backing vocals really blind you from the darkness that’s in the music. Feel like that’s quite apt and adds to the fact we’re blinded by ‘happy happy’ all the time and miss the dark disturbing nature of things. Samples work effortlessly with the instrumentation and the spoken ... read more

4mo

Geo74e

This album filled me with a feeling I’ve not felt in a very very long time, pioneering a sound which is truly their own- in this process creating an album which is both gripping and incredibly talented. The only slight similarity I hear with this music is to the early singles made by joy division which I understand in the UK has become a large stereotype but I believe Rats of Rafts I’ve created a new soundscape which is diverse, new and modern. This album is strong alliance to ... read more

4mo

NTTR

Rats on Rafts - Excerpts From Chapter 3: The Mind Runs A Net Of Rabbit Paths

Genre: Post Punk
Country: Netherlands

Final Verdict: 60% (Good Album)
Yearly Ranking: 43th / 103

Highlight: A Trail Of Wind And Fire

Made me think of:
Joy Division
Echo & The Bunnymen
The Fall
IAMX

4mo

iangarrett216

This was my first experience with Rats on Rafts, and I gotta say, it was rather positive. While this album sounds like a "by-the-numbers post-punk album," this album can get really dense at times. There are more psychedelic, cerebral moments, a-la Echo & The Bunny Men and Wire, immediately transitioning into post-punk barn burners and avante-garde passages at a break-neck pace. My only gripe is a lot of the songs lack spice or originality and the production can be a little too ... read more

4mo

Profeet

5 years after "Tape Hiss" a new album from Rats on Rafts. To get straight to the point, this is not an easy album. You'll really have to push yourself to give this album multiple rides. The reward is great, after these listens you will discover that this album is full of unusually good guitar punk songs.The album is obscure full of weird noises, reverb, feedback and other samples, but wonderfully seamlessly blend with the instrumentation it enriches the songs. Listening to this album ... read more

4mo

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